Series 3 Verizon FIOS HD compat?

Verizon's order system only lists CableCards. They can't specify a particular card type. But if you order a CableCard, you will get a M-CARD.

Verizon no longer has anything but M-CARDs in any service area. Verizon hasn't offered S-Cards in any service area for months. Most service areas haven't had S-CARDs since last fall. Unfortunately, the reps on the phone are not educated as to this fact. Many still think that Verizon only offers S-CARDs which is outdated information.

Verizon will not ship CableCards under any circumstances, nor do they allow self installs. Unfortunately, this is not clear at all in Verizon's order system; to the representative, it looks like they can place a shipment order just as they can for the Motorola STBs and DVRs. But any such shipment order for CableCards will never complete. CableCards always require a truck roll, no matter what the sales rep told you on the phone.

The $79.99 "truck roll" charge is is meant to encourage customers to accept equipment by mail and discourage users from demanding a truck roll. As of April, the truck roll for CableCards is supposed to be free because the shipment option is not available; Verizon requires a technician to install them. Call the sales department and escalate (ask for a supervisor), then mention that fact. Reiterate that you are entirely comfortable installing the cards yourself, but that Verizon refuses to ship them to you.

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I called and ordered my cable cards yesterday. At first they were going to ship them... but then said that the order could not go through... and then discovered that indeed a truck roll was necessary.

They said that prior to yesterday, they could waive the $79 fee... but they just installed a new system and they no longer have the option. It looks like I will have to call back and escalate.

Thank you for your post. I will watch this one closely to see if others are able to get the $79 fee waived.

Just bought two TIVO HDs during the Father's Day sale and I'm already having trouble with Verizon. I tried to order my cable cards on-line on Friday and some guy popped up on chat and tried to help me. Ordered what he told me to and then followed up on my local Verizon service number to ask about returning my STBs. They informed that I had ordered the wrong thing and since it was the weekend, that I would have to wait until today to call the on-line support to have them fix it. They also insisted that a service tech would have to come out to the house.

Called on-line support today and they canceled the old order and placed a new order for the cable cards. They told me that I could either have a tech come out for $80 or they would mail me the cards. I told them to mail them to me. Now I'm a little worried that this will all work out. My specific concerns are:

1. Will they actually mail me the cards and if so, will I be able to pair/activate them myself by calling tech support? I checked my account on line and it doesn't show any pending orders.
2. Will they send me m-cards or s-cards? I've told each person that I want m-cards?
3. How many more hours I will have to spend on hold with Verizon?

Any advice from you experts would be greatly appreciated!

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I can safely save Verizon will never mail you the cards. At least as of today the policy is to have a truck roll. I think they instituted this policy to discourage people from getting TIVOs.

2 possible reasons are:

They want your $15.99 a month instead of $3.99.

Tivo owners tend to complain the most about picture quality and pixelation. A little birdie told me Verizon is 1000% convinced the issue is with TIVO and they do not wish to deal with it, since sending techs out to trouble shoot 3rd party equipment costs a lot of money, and only leads to overall price increases for everyone.

Verizon no longer has anything but M-CARDs in any service area. Verizon hasn't offered S-Cards in any service area for months. Most service areas haven't had S-CARDs since last fall. Unfortunately, the reps on the phone are not educated as to this fact. Many still think that Verizon only offers S-CARDs which is outdated information.

As others have stated, all TiVo models work fine with FIOS. See my sig for equipment - all of which works great. My problem is the Series 2 DT models operate as single-tuner boxes because Verizon does not provide analog programming. Hence, they only use the STBs attached - the internal analog tuner is worthless. I'd like to replace them with HD models but it would be better if I got a job first

My S3 has 2 'S' cards but will work fine with either 2 'M' cards or one 'S' and 1 'M' card.

My THD works fine with 2 'S' cards but would function just fine with a single 'M' card. Unfortunately, Verizon didn't offer multistream cards at the time of my THD install.

I am one of those unfortunate FIOS hot signal guys. My new Tivo HD XL just doesn't seem to like the FIOS signal. I have been on this board and the Tivo forum and got some great advice on numerous occasions from bfdtv and others. I have tried a low pass filter and many different combinations of attenuators. I have tried the Radio Shack dial attenuator. But my signal issues have gotten worse over the past month.

I want to love Tivo. I was an early adopter with Replay TV and would still own that box if it could record HD. I spent years with a SA 8300 HD Explorer with Time Warner Cable in Manhattan but I could not pass up the speed and price of FIOS and hate TWC anyway. I started with the crappy Motos from Verizon and had overheating issues and hard drive failure within 2 weeks on my first box. I did some research here and fell in love with Tivo and bought the XL on April 25th.

From day one I have tried the signal fix and I have spent quite a bit of time with VZ at my home (they ave been pretty good about trying to fix on their end) I have also let Tivo know since day one that I am experiencing signal issues.

I met a guy on the Tivo boards who told me he was in a beta program and that a patch was imminent but could not tell me anymore. He said dont waste time with VZ coming to your apartment with any more attenuator crap- there will be a patch.

Based on that info and the totally random nature of my signal issues I have decided to try and wait it out as long as I can before my wife and daughter turn on me. The signal seems to go hot whenever we switch to a channel that is important to us. For me it is SNY in NYC -the Mets channel. I cannot watch a game anymore! My wife has issues with HBO and my daughter's kiddie shows seem to have to problem too. Sometimes the pixellation will be heavy for 10 minutes and then dissipate. Other times I can get a week straight of rock solid picture but lately it has been consistently bad. When it is bad the SNR fluctuates from 37-29 and the signal strength goes from 100-45. The RS uncorrected have been appearing more and more on channels we did not see them on before.

A few weeks into my trial month I called to complain to Tivo and they waived my monthly charge. A few weeks into my second month I called to complain but had to take it up to the next level of CS to get them to give me another month credit. I actually agreed to cancel my service because i was so upset with them. It is set to expire in 3 days.

Still I delay any decisions because I want to believe this can be fixed. I decided I had 3 options. Do nothing and hope that the beta fix comes in soon (yes i have registered for the beta and have begged Tivo to bring me in but their CS people are clueless) Secondly, I though maybe a new cable card from VZ might solve my problems and third I thought perhaps a new box from Tivo might work. Obviously there are people with Tivo and FIOS who are enjoying cable TV - I want to be THAT guy. Anyone think a new card or box might do the trick?

If I can't solve this problem soon I want to return the unit and get my MONEY back. I called J&R Music World where I purchased the box in April and they said any return after 30 days must go through manufacturer. I called Tivo today to find out their return and/or replacement policy and got into a huge pissing match. Basically there L2 tech support rep told me that since it is over 30 days I cannot return the box under any circumstances!!! He says it is a FIOS problem and I waited more than 30 days! He says that since by canceling my monthly service a few weeks ago that somehow this precludes me from pursuing a return or replacement. He says I cannot even get a refurb at cost to me. WTF???

I know I am getting bad info and I am livid. I would consider swapping out the box but I do not want a refurb and do not want to pay anything for shipping. The Tivo L2 guy says I cannot swap or even make a return because there is nothing wrong with the box and it is past 30 days. I asked him how he did not know it was a hard drive issue and even though all signs point to signal problem how can they rule out hardware issues. He said it did not matter I am stuck with this 2 month old box and can only sell it on ebay!

Of course now I just want to return this box and recoup my $5oo+ that I shelled out for it in April. Perhaps I will wait tilll there is a FIOS fix or perhaps I will never buy a Tivo again!

But how would any of you proceed? Are there some corporate people at Tivo that will listen to reason? I went from being a Tivo evangelical to a Tivo hater in one 20 minute phone call.

They have a known issue and yet do not inform consumers that they might experience signal issue with a major provider of HD content? I got the sense that they also know they have problems in Manhattan but of course cannot prove it. What about my 90 day warranty? All I know is the box doesn't work with my cable provider.

I am one of those unfortunate FIOS hot signal guys. My new Tivo HD XL just doesn't seem to like the FIOS signal. I have been on this board and the Tivo forum and got some great advice on numerous occasions from bfdtv and others. I have tried a low pass filter and many different combinations of attenuators. I have tried the Radio Shack dial attenuator. But my signal issues have gotten worse over the past month.

I want to love Tivo. I was an early adopter with Replay TV and would still own that box if it could record HD. I spent years with a SA 8300 HD Explorer with Time Warner Cable in Manhattan but I could not pass up the speed and price of FIOS and hate TWC anyway. I started with the crappy Motos from Verizon and had overheating issues and hard drive failure within 2 weeks on my first box. I did some research here and fell in love with Tivo and bought the XL on April 25th.

From day one I have tried the signal fix and I have spent quite a bit of time with VZ at my home (they ave been pretty good about trying to fix on their end) I have also let Tivo know since day one that I am experiencing signal issues.

I met a guy on the Tivo boards who told me he was in a beta program and that a patch was imminent but could not tell me anymore. He said dont waste time with VZ coming to your apartment with any more attenuator crap- there will be a patch.

Based on that info and the totally random nature of my signal issues I have decided to try and wait it out as long as I can before my wife and daughter turn on me. The signal seems to go hot whenever we switch to a channel that is important to us. For me it is SNY in NYC -the Mets channel. I cannot watch a game anymore! My wife has issues with HBO and my daughter's kiddie shows seem to have to problem too. Sometimes the pixellation will be heavy for 10 minutes and then dissipate. Other times I can get a week straight of rock solid picture but lately it has been consistently bad. When it is bad the SNR fluctuates from 37-29 and the signal strength goes from 100-45. The RS uncorrected have been appearing more and more on channels we did not see them on before.

A few weeks into my trial month I called to complain to Tivo and they waived my monthly charge. A few weeks into my second month I called to complain but had to take it up to the next level of CS to get them to give me another month credit. I actually agreed to cancel my service because i was so upset with them. It is set to expire in 3 days.

Still I delay any decisions because I want to believe this can be fixed. I decided I had 3 options. Do nothing and hope that the beta fix comes in soon (yes i have registered for the beta and have begged Tivo to bring me in but their CS people are clueless) Secondly, I though maybe a new cable card from VZ might solve my problems and third I thought perhaps a new box from Tivo might work. Obviously there are people with Tivo and FIOS who are enjoying cable TV - I want to be THAT guy. Anyone think a new card or box might do the trick?

If I can't solve this problem soon I want to return the unit and get my MONEY back. I called J&R Music World where I purchased the box in April and they said any return after 30 days must go through manufacturer. I called Tivo today to find out their return and/or replacement policy and got into a huge pissing match. Basically there L2 tech support rep told me that since it is over 30 days I cannot return the box under any circumstances!!! He says it is a FIOS problem and I waited more than 30 days! He says that since by canceling my monthly service a few weeks ago that somehow this precludes me from pursuing a return or replacement. He says I cannot even get a refurb at cost to me. WTF???

I know I am getting bad info and I am livid. I would consider swapping out the box but I do not want a refurb and do not want to pay anything for shipping. The Tivo L2 guy says I cannot swap or even make a return because there is nothing wrong with the box and it is past 30 days. I asked him how he did not know it was a hard drive issue and even though all signs point to signal problem how can they rule out hardware issues. He said it did not matter I am stuck with this 2 month old box and can only sell it on ebay!

Of course now I just want to return this box and recoup my $5oo+ that I shelled out for it in April. Perhaps I will wait tilll there is a FIOS fix or perhaps I will never buy a Tivo again!

But how would any of you proceed? Are there some corporate people at Tivo that will listen to reason? I went from being a Tivo evangelical to a Tivo hater in one 20 minute phone call.

They have a known issue and yet do not inform consumers that they might experience signal issue with a major provider of HD content? I got the sense that they also know they have problems in Manhattan but of course cannot prove it. What about my 90 day warranty? All I know is the box doesn't work with my cable provider.

Thoughts? Sorry to ramble on but I am spitting blood

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Have you checked the connectors on the coax cables? I had problems with pixalation. I would get thousands of rs uncorrected errors in a few minutes sometimes. I tried every combination of attenuators until the picture disappeared. Then one time the connector came off. I had Verizon come out and fix it. Now I still get occasional RS uncorrected errors but they are greatly reduced. I have not seen them hit 1000 since even after several hours tuned to the same station.

Ok, so I wonder how they will handle apartments. There are 9 units per floor in my building, and they ran a 4" conduit up the stairwell with a 14"x10" box on each floor. From there, a smaller (2") conduit was run in the hallway above each door to the units...

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They will run fiber to a closet in your apartment and then install the ONT there.

I have checked most of my connections but not all. But I also get a rock solid picture on certain channels and even the pixellation on the bad channels will eventually dissipate. My signal issues are so random and persistent that I doubt it is a connector bit I will have the VZ tech check again.

I am really looking for advice on how to return this box until Tivo releases their patch.

Have you checked the connectors on the coax cables? I had problems with pixalation. I would get thousands of rs uncorrected errors in a few minutes sometimes. I tried every combination of attenuators until the picture disappeared. Then one time the connector came off. I had Verizon come out and fix it. Now I still get occasional RS uncorrected errors but they are greatly reduced. I have not seen them hit 1000 since even after several hours tuned to the same station.

You can save a lot of money on MoCA adapters by opting to use the [more power hungry] Actiontec or Westell routers in their place. These can often be had for $20-$30/ea on ebay. I haven't gotten around to updating the FAQ with that information, but instructions are here:

I bought an actiontec router on ebay, without a power supply. I assumed one of the "bricks" in my box of stuff would work. Looks like the adapter is 5v but 3amps. I'm going to turn off wireless. A couple of posters in another forum claim the RS unit (1a) works. Does anyone have an opinion?

I have checked most of my connections but not all. But I also get a rock solid picture on certain channels and even the pixellation on the bad channels will eventually dissipate. My signal issues are so random and persistent that I doubt it is a connector bit I will have the VZ tech check again.

I am really looking for advice on how to return this box until Tivo releases their patch.

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Two thoughts...

1. Perhaps you have a flaky cable card. Has VZ tried to replace them?

2. Has TiVo offered to replace your unit? It could of course be defective.

I'm still having trouble getting my cable cards. My original order went in as "digital adapters" instead of cable cards and they couldn't do anything with their pathetic system until these adapters arrived at my house and that order was marked as complete. Today I received the adapters and promptly took them back to the local Verizon store. The store couldn't order anything so I was forced to make another call to customer service who said that my order was still frozen. They claimed that they will call me back tomorrow to complete the order and then mail me the cable cards. I told them that they couldn't be mailed and she called someone and assured me that they could.

So tomorrow I'm sure they won't call and I'll have to call again, they will try to mail them, and then after a week they will cancel my order without informing me. I'll then have to call back and start this process over and eventually be charged the $80 for the truck roll. How frustrating!

Just a suggestion you may want to post on dslreports in their verizon forums. They have a section where Verizon reps actually handle some issues so they may be able to help you.

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I might have to do that. I talked with someone in "Escalation" from Verizon about this problem the other day and they didn't want to budge on the $80 fee. If I end up being charged, I will probably file a complaint with the Maryland Communications Commission since I don't think that this is in the spirit of the law which required the cable cards.

I talked with someone in "Escalation" from Verizon about this problem the other day and they didn't want to budge on the $80 fee. If I end up being charged, I will probably file a complaint with the Maryland Communications Commission since I don't think that this is in the spirit of the law which required the cable cards.

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Not to mention they should waive the fee just for good customer support in response to all the run-around you're getting. You might want to start casually mentioning they you're "fed up with how you're being treated and considering dropping the service"... even if it's not true, it might light a fire under them.